Undaunted, the home side come forward again to win a free-kick on the right. Terry clears for a corner...

77'

Substitute Zemmama makes a good run down the left for Boro and makes room for a cross. Unfortunately, though, he gets the delivery all wrong and it sails over the bar for a Chelsea free-kick.

77'

Luiz is instantly involved, winning the ball well and starting a move that leads to a pass towards, but beyond, Torres.

76'

Another change for Chelsea - Moses is off and David Luiz comes into the fray.

75'

In the meantime, Oscar gets into the area, has a shot - and it's not far wide.

74'

Looks as though David Luiz will come on for Chelsea soon.

74'

McManus fouls Oscar in the centre circle, and the Boro man is booked for his troubles.

74'

Zemmama is on and Carayol off as Boro make another change.

73'

GOAL: But within seconds, Hazard and Oscar combine - the low cross comes in, and Moses taps home. That should decide this one once and for all.

73'

Again, they lose possession - but when they win it back, Ramires finds Hazard on the left of the Boro area. He hits a fierce, swerving shot, which is just wide.

72'

Friend and Carayol, halfway inside the Chelsea half. Boro step in, and Chelsea get a throw.

71'

Haroun for Boro, running over halfway. Miller takes over and finds Friend, who whacks the ball from range and sees it deflect out for a throw-in.

70'

Twenty minutes to go. Ake tries to find Hazard - Boro step in to clear, and Bertrand takes control of that situation for the visitors.

69'

As it comes forward, Ake gets a header in but Chelsea lose it. Williams, though, can't find McDonald near the edge of the Chelsea area.

68'

Moses finds Ferreira, but then Chelsea go backwards again and the ball goes all the way back to Cech.

67'

McDonald does well to control the ball on the edge of the area as it comes forward again, but that flicker of a threat is soon snuffed out.

66'

It is, towards Miller. But Chelsea win that one comfortably enough.

65'

Frank Lampard could be coming on, it seems - in the meantime, Miller plays the ball out to the right for Boro. Ramires fouls Miller. Free-kick, Leadbitter to take. A long way out, but this can be crossed.

64'

Hazard chases a ball forward but Steele does well, just ushering it behind for a goal-kick.

63'

As Chelsea break, Torres takes on Friend. Friend wins, and gets a free-kick as the frustrated Spaniard is adjudged to have fouled him.

63'

Miller, front and centre for Boro, wins the ball but his colleagues waste it, giving the ball away.

62'

Boro play the ball forward, Terry ushers it to Cech - and Cech shanks his clearance straight out of play.

62'

Curtis Main is off and Ishmail Miller on as Boro make a switch.

61'

However, while there's only one goal in it, Boro have every chance.

60'

On the hour and Chelsea, without doing anything anywhere close to spectacular, are assuming control at the Riverside.

59'

Moses takes it, and Boro thump it away.

59'

There must have been a deflection on that Torres shot, because the officials have given a corner.

58'

Benayoun is off and Hazard is on - Benitez makes his first change of the night.

58'

Torres is in - there's no flag. He lashes in a shot, but it clears the bar. A good chance for Chelsea.

57'

Again, the attempt to come forward breaks down and Chelsea come forward. McManus, though, gets in the way of Ramires, who looks to have been given a new lease of life by his goal.

56'

But Middlesbrough lose the ball again, only to win it back through Haroun.

Carayol finds Leadbitter in midfield as Boro come forward, and now Main has it.

30'

Benayoun on the ball - he links up with Torres, but Middlesbrough deal with that one well.

29'

Ivanovic with a free-kick inside his own half - he and Terry exchange passes, and then the latter comes forward and tries to find Moses. Friend gets in the way.

28'

Excellent play from Mowbray's men, that - their best moment of the evening so far.

28'

Ramires makes a mistake. Williams tries to belt it from long range. It's blocked, Bailey crosses and McDonald heads for goal - and not far wide.

27'

Carayol gets it, and then gets his attempted cross all wrong. Easy for the Chelsea defenders.

27'

Main and Bailey link as things break down for Chelsea from that throw. The Londoners then concede a throw themselves.

26'

Ferreira - remember him? - finds Benayoun. Chelsea get a low cross in, but McManus is in the right place again for Middlesbrough and clears.

25'

Boro try to up their own tempo a bit, but the ball towards the area is too strong and Cech has it.

24'

The Chelsea approach so far is a bit stodgy, and they have done little or nothing to unsettle their Championship opponents.

24'

Benitez looks thoughtful on the touchline. Benayoun is penalised for handball inside the Middlesbrough half.

22'

Torres then takes on McManus and tries a shot, but that effort is wimpish in the extreme.

21'

Leadbitter looks for Bailey, who controls neatly and finds Carayol. Good spell of passing from Boro - but it breaks down.

20'

Nothing comes of it, and the home side come forward. Carayol will cross, and Chelsea clear.

19'

Torres tumbles on the left as Bikey challenges. That is nothing more than a throw.

18'

Ake gives the ball away for Chelsea. It's been that sort of evening so far, really.

17'

Leadbitter plays it in and there's a bit of uncertainty until Bailey's header back towards the area is too strong.

17'

Chelsea look the team more likely - but Ramires brings down Williams to give away a dangerous free-kick. Can Boro make anything out of this one?

16'

There isn't really much to talk about so far - it's been a fairly leaden opening period.

16'

Torres can run towards the area after Carayol loses possession. McManus gets there, but Carayol was careless.

15'

Haroun drives forward for Boro and has a speculative effort. The ball is soon back with the same player, whose attempt to find McDonald is pretty woeful and goes straight through to Cech.

15'

Torres gets the ball but his attempt to feed it through to Benayoun is poor.

14'

Boro win it back and the ball goes out for a throw. Off Terry, unsurprisingly, who has been Mr Involved in the last minute or so.

14'

But that goes nowhere - a common theme of this opening period - and Terry has the ball yet again.

14'

Oscar's pass is cut out by Williams. Terry picks up the pieces, and then Benayoun tries to make his way forward.

13'

Moses causes problems, but his powerful run and ball in don't get the reward they could have done from Oscar, who is tentative in his attempted finish.

12'

Leadbitter plays it forward, but the offside flag is up and it's a Chelsea free-kick.

11'

Ake with a foul inside the centre circle - free-kick Boro.

11'

Then Torres does well on the right of the area before playing in a dangerous-looking low cross. Benayoun, though, can't get to that and it runs all the way out.

10'

The kick doesn't get past the first man - too easy for Boro to clear that.

9'

But then Chelsea inject a little bit of pace, and Friend - he's made a good start for Boro - is forced to concede a corner.

9'

Good control by Moses, who then plays it infield to Ramires. But it's all around the centre and isn't really threatening to go anywhere.

8'

Chelsea come forward and Oscar tries to find Moses with a ball into the area. It just eludes the former Wigan man, but that was a decent effort.

8'

...and Middlesbrough defend that one well.

7'

Friend steps in with a good challenge as Moses tries to set off and a run. Torres picks up the pieces...

7'

Boro have a free-kick - Ramires the offender. In it goes, but the Blues clear that one easily enough.

6'

Careless from Middelsbrough - they give it away through Bailey and can be grateful that the ball didn't fall to Victor Moses, who was lurking on the edge of the area.

5'

A bit of neat passing from the home side around halfway - it doesn't go anywhere, and in the end defender Friend plays the ball all the way back to his 'keeper.

4'

Benitez gestures on the touchline as his players try to get the ball towards Torres. Again, Steele is there to collect in the Boro goal.

4'

However, they are not used to winning at the moment - only one of their last nine league games has ended in victory.

3'

As you would expect from a Tony Mowbray side, Middlesbrough are trying to do things constructively. Their passing is neat and - most of the time - they look to play the ball to feet.

2'

Bertrand then finds Ramires. Boro win it back, but then give it away - as does Torres seconds later.

2'

The home side hoist a ball forward down the middle, and John Terry is there with a header.

1'

Bertrand comes forward for the Blues, but that ball will go all the way through to Boro keeper Steele.

1'

Referee Martin Atkinson gets proceedings going, and the ball is soon back with visiting 'keeper Cech.

The captains are shaking hands in the centre circle. Chelsea will get us under way.

A couple of minutes remaining until kick-off at the Riverside. There's a good crowd, and a good atmosphere.

Benitez, meanwhile, has indicated that he does not expect to remain at Chelsea towards the end of the season, saying: "I will be working hard until the end. We have to try to beat Middlesbrough and then move on. My job is to concentrate on the next game, not the speculation."

"Why can't Middlesbrough give Chelsea a really tough game and be competitive? I am sure we will be," he said, praising his players for having "acquitted ourselves pretty well in both games" against top flight sides so far.

Mowbray says Boro won't be over-awed - they beat Premier League Sunderland in the Capital One Cup and only lost narrowly to the competition's eventual winners, Swansea.

Can Boro add to the uncertainty surrounding last season's Champions League winners? We'll find out at 7.45pm.

And this is the team chosen by Rafa Benitez for the Londoners - John Terry is back and Fernando Torres starts: Cech, Ferreira, Ivanovic,Terry, Bertrand, Ramires, Ake, Moses, Oscar, Benayoun, Torres. Subs: Turnbull, Cole, David Luiz, Lampard, Hazard, Marin, Ba.

Championship Middlesbrough welcome Chelsea to the Riverside tonight hoping for a boost to a season that has gone flat in the last couple of months. Although Boro remain just outside the play-offs, they have won only one league game since December 29.